Uglies

Uglies

Author
Scott Westerfield

Plot summary
Uglies is one of four books (Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras). It takes place in 300 years, in a society where until the age of 16, people are known as "Uglies". Once an Ugly turns 16, they undergo an operation, turning them into a "Pretty", a beautifully symmetrical being with full lips, big eyes, perfect figure, everybody the same. Most think of this as a good thing, something to look forward to- finally moving out of Uglyville- like Tally Youngblood, a teenage girl about to turn 16. While waiting for her birthday to come, Tally meets another Ugly, Shay, who, unlike Tally, doesn't want to become a Pretty and who has outside contact with a rebellious group called The Smoke. Shay then runs away to join them, without Tally, but leaves behind a note with clues of the whereabouts of the Smoke's location, in case she changes her mind. Tally promises to never tell anybody where they reside and continues to look forward for the operation.

Her excitement is cut short when, right before her 16th birthday, Tally is told by Dr. Cable, a "Special" (members of the city's secret police organization- Special Circumstances), that unless she reveals the Smoke's location, she will not be given the surgery. Forced to find and infiltrate the Smoke, Tally decides to stay there and not become a Pretty after meeting their leader, David, with whom she falls in love. She then learns that when one is made into a Pretty, not only do their looks get altered, but it also creates lesions in the brain so that it makes people more compliant with authority. Although Tally tries to stop the Special Circumstances from destroying the Smoke, they do anyway and capture all but Tally and David. The two mount a successful operation and return with their friends to a "Rusty Ruins" city, a city from today's world.

David's dad had died and Shay was transformed into a Pretty with lesions in her brain. David's mom has discovered a cure for the lesions, but Shay refuses to take them because they haven't been proven successful. Tally decides to risk herself to save her friend, so she decides to get the operation done and be the test. She turns herself in, and demands to be made pretty.

Characters
Tally Youngblood
The main protagonist of the trilogy. Nicknamed "Squint" because of her eyes. She has always wanted to be a Pretty before meeting Shay, but when she arrives at the Smoke, her perception changes when she realizes the truth about turning Pretty.

Shay
Eventually becomes Tally's best friend after Tally meets her on the way back from a visit in New Pretty Town. Shay is the main reason Tally became involved with the "Smokies", residents living in the Smoke. She leaves a note for Tally to enable her to find her way to the Smoke, but is captured in the end and turned into a Pretty.

David
Shay's ugly friend that lives in the Smoke. He is the son of Maddy and Az. After meeting Tally, he falls for her and together, they escape from the clutches of the authorities when they arrive at the Smoke.

Maddy
David's mother, and was once a surgeon for turning Uglies into Pretties, along with her husband, Az.

Az
David's father, and was once a surgeon for turning Uglies into Pretties. He was captured and killed during an operation led by Dr. Cable.

Croy
One of Shay's friends who lives at The Smoke.

Peris
Tally's best friend since they were littlies. Aka "Nose".

Dr. Cable
Head, or leader, of Special Circumstances.

Personal reflections
This book pretty much has the same theme as ‘The Host’. Humans are replaced by people –who, though, still look like human- who classify themselves into Uglies, Pretties, and also Specials and Extras. This book got me envying the citizens for a while. Imagine being able to be turned into someone so beautiful beyond imagination. Everyone!

But of course there’s a catch. You would have to be a stupid, pretty face, which says nothing but empty words and party all day. Of course, if you look at the situation from a realistic angle yet again, you’d notice that this would prevent any kind of disruption and disaster. And you get to be pretty.

Stories like this always have rebels, and in this case, the Smokies. The Smokies are basically, well, us. My favourite part of this story is Tally’s journey to the Smokies’ campsite. How ironic that people from the future are learning stuff from people of the past? But when Specials show up and cleared the place of Smokies, it showed the ugly –not literally, of course- side of these newborn ‘Pretties-turned-robots’.

So, people, let me ask you a question: would you rather be pretty and tame, or ugly and wild?

{Well, for me, I’d like the best of both worlds. (Kindly ignore the Hannah Montana reference.) If we humans can be pretty and wild at the same time, well, that’ll make us superhumans, ain’t it? But I guess God created us for a different purpose. He created us to overcome these boundaries and problems ourselves instead of getting what we want and take them for granted. Sure, life will be exceptionally easy, and I’m not saying I don’t want that kind of life, but then life would have no meaning, would it? Everyone lived the same life, what was the main purpose of living anyway? I don’t want this to sound like a sermon so I figure I will stop right now.}

Rating
8/10